A year ago, the Phoenix Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings played a closer-than-expected series before the Wings blew the home-standing Coyotes out in Game 7 to advance. Now, as Detroit holds the home ice edge, they'll look to do the same against a familiar foe.
Coyotes Vs. Red Wings, Game 1: Ilya Bryzgalov Leads Phoenix Into Battle Against Familiar Foe
There's no secret that the Wings hold an edge in the offensive department. Balanced depth in the attack is a cog that has been and likely always be there for Detroit, and while the Coyotes hold some balance in their attack as well, they only have one elite scorer in team captain Shane Doan.
That's the Red Wings' edge in this series, but Phoenix hopes that a strong defense led by Keith Yandle and even better goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov can bring that Detroit scoring threat down a notch. That's the one huge edge the Coyotes hold in this Western Conference Quarterfinal series between the two clubs -- the goaltending.
Of course, that’s a position that can swing a playoff series or even a series, and if Bryzgalov can steal an early game in this series before the scene shifts back to home ice in Phoenix, the plot will certainly take a turn to the “interesting” category.
Wednesday night's Game 1 will be a battle between Bryzgalov and Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard. Mike Modano is a healthy scratch for Detroit while Henrik Zetterberg is out with an injury, although Niklas Kronwall will play for the Wings.
The game is on Versus nationally in the U.S., CBC in Western Canada and Fox Detroit in uh, Detroit. For more, check in with our blogs: Winging It In Motown on the Red Wings, Five For Howling on the Coyotes. You can find full SBNation.com coverage here.
See More:
